Pages

Thursday, August 09, 2007

What About Bob? – I mean Joe?

Nothing much is going visually going on with Joe. It is just a lazy summer. When his car was repossessed, of course, that was an excellent excuse to not to work – how can one work if one has no wheels to get there?

Although his mate, or the mother of his child, has a job at McDonald’s less than 2 miles away. How does she get to work without wheels? That is not his problem.

One day while I was working in the front yard Joe drove up in his mother’s van, got out, talking on his cell phone, and walked into the house and shut the door. Then a few seconds later his mate, or hb’sm, got out of the van, opened the back, and carried in two sacks of groceries.

Well, Joe DID carry the cell phone in.

As I mentioned more than once, you never know what to expect when you look over at their house. Not long ago, I an official county fire department car was parked out front. At the door were two blue-uniformed men talking to Joe’s mother. I wonder what they did that justified a visit from firemen?

While the parents of the kids next to their house is off to work many days Joe and his friends commandeer their pool. Their kids are there. The strange part about this is that Joe has a big rebel flag in his bedroom window. The family that owns the pool are black – and Muslim. Do they know Joe and his friends are hitting the pool often while they are gone? I don’t know, but I speculate that they do. Never under estimate the convincing ability of a smooth talker.

Joe’s father Bob was a smooth talker. I think the talent has been handed down.

To prove my point, yesterday I was at the grocery store Joe worked at when his car was repossessed and I mentioned to the cashier that I see they lost a good employer. – I said in jest. She asked who was that and I said Joe and his last name.

The cashier looked at me seriously and said she trained Joe. She said Joe was one of the most sincerest and friendliest person she has ever met. I swallowed.

She went on to say it was a shame how his “wife” treated him… partying all the time and expecting Joe to get up in the wee hours to take care of the baby and also he was going to school and also going to an auto mechanics school… his time was being stretched more too much. She said he just had to give up the working there part.

I don’t think she knew about the car repossession.

I left with my groceries and biting my tongue.

6 comments:

  1. Eddie, you should have set her straight! As I said before, there's never a dull moment on your street!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Judy,
    Well, I thought Joe went to a lot of effort to make an impression on this attractive young lady... so, why burst her bubble. She was so sold on Joe, I doubt if she would believe me anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Heh. Sounds like Joe really had her snowed. Your stories of him remind me of the Immanuel Kant quote:

    "From the crooked timber of humanity, not a straight thing ever grew."

    ReplyDelete
  4. Chris,
    I like that.

    It also reminds me of a quote in "My Fair Lady" when the Fair Lady's father was asked didn't he have any scruples and he replied:

    "Scruples? What are those? Never mind! I can't afford them!"

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:40 AM

    Maybe the Fruit of Islam and the Sons of Confederate Veterans have a memorandum of understanding about using the pool.

    My neighbors are pretty weird too in some ways, though i dont have any stories to top yours. Although the guy next door once did pee in their yard (he thought no one was watching- and he was right once i figured out what was going on).

    ReplyDelete
  6. And I look around before I pick my nose in public.

    I think dogs have the right idea. Do that bowel movement while you have the urge!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.